Super Smash Brothers and the King of Shadows
by EternalDreamer29
Summary: Some time after the defeat of Tabuu, the smashers come face-to-face with a monster even more terrifying and learn an important secret about their past. Now, it is up to them and two new friends to stop the King of Shadows from taking over the universe.
1. Prologue

**Super Smash Brothers and the King of Shadows**

**PROLOGUE**

Previously, 35 heroes and villains were invited by a mysterious, cloaked man named T.C. Murky to Smash Castle, where they would participate in the first Super Smash Brothers Tournament. This grueling tournament included a total of 18 challenges, and the winner would be named Smash Champion. The first challenge was the Subspace Emissary, where the only rule the smashers were given was to find the lost mirror piece and return it to Murky. The smashers carry out the events of the Subspace Emissary, eventually defeating Tabuu and therefore revealing the mirror piece. The smashers then participated in the remaining 17 challenges and were awarded points for their victories.

After attending a trophy ceremony in which the winners of each of the challenges were awarded trophies for their success, Murky began the Championship Tournament by placing the smashers in the bracket according to their ranking from the previous challenges. The winner of this Tournament would be given the title of Smash Champion. However, the smashers soon learned that Murky had his own evil motives for organizing the tournament in the first place – by attaching the lost mirror piece to the Mirror of Evil, he could trap the smashers in the mirror one by one and turn them evil, thereby creating his own all-powerful army to take over the universe. As the smashers became eliminated in the Championship Tournament, they became trapped inside the mirror.

The smashers finished out the tournament, and Kirby defeated Link in the final match. However, Murky then attacked Kirby in a "bonus" match to send him into the mirror as well. Right before the match, Murky removed his cloak and revealed himself to be the real Tabuu, not the clone present at the end of the Subspace Emissary. Kirby defeated Tabuu, and the smashers were released from the Mirror of Evil.

Following the events of the Super Smash Tournament and the defeat of Tabuu, the story of the war against the King of Shadows takes place.


	2. Chapter 1  Strange Events

**PART 1: SHADONIA**

**Chapter 1: Strange Events**

"Falcon Punch!"

With one last mighty swing of his arm, Captain Falcon sent Toon Link flying off the Bridge of Eldin and out of the stage.

"Game!" boomed the bodiless voice over the loudspeaker. The crowd of smashers cheered for their friend's victory, and Mario marked down Captain Falcon's win on his clipboard. Ever since the defeat of Tabuu, the smashers have been gathering regularly at Smash Castle to brawl, practice fighting, or simply to hang around. A few days ago, Mario decided to organize a new tournament for some friendly competition. Now, Captain Falcon had entered the semi-finals along with Pokémon Trainer, Bowser, and Pikachu.

Captain Falcon and Toon Link exited the stage and shook hands. Toon Link wished Captain Falcon good luck in the upcoming match.

"Gee, I'm starving. Let's get something to eat," Captain Falcon declared as his stomach growled. The other smashers nodded in agreement and followed Captain Falcon to the Dining Hall.

The chefs had prepared a delicious lunch selection of grilled cheese with tomato, French onion or tomato soup, a wide assortment of fruit, and a huge salad bar. Their plates and mouths full, all the smashers could talk about was the tournament. Most of them agreed that the best match so far was between Peach and Marth; no matter how many times they kicked, whacked, and sliced at each other, neither of them would lose. After about ten minutes of brawling, Peach finally reduced Marth's stock to zero.

At one end of the table, Fox and Falco started a bet on who would win the final match. Fox's gut told him Captain Falcon had the tournament in the palm of his hand, while Falco insisted Pokémon Trainer would cream him. Samus jumped in to bet on Pikachu, and Wolf and Sonic put their money on Bowser. Soon enough every smasher was in on the bet, backing whoever they thought would win. Fox collected all the money and split it into two piles: 25 percent for the smashers who bet on the second place winner, and the other 75 percent for the smashers who bet on the first place winner.

- * X * -

After lunch, the smashers dispersed throughout the castle. Some went immediately to the training room, while others lounged about with their friends. Marth was in his room along with Luigi and Yoshi, enjoying a particularly entertaining story Kirby was telling about the time Meta Knight's sword got stuck in a pear tree on the Pop Star planet, when an unusual feeling of lightness overcame him.

"And that's when a _Waddledee_ fell out of one of the branches and – "

"Oh, no."

"What?" Kirby realized that Marth's response was not due to the humorous event of the Waddledee.

"My sword…it's gone!"

"Your sword is missing?"

"Yes! I know I had with me! Unless…maybe I put it down by the couch?" Marth jumped up and ran over to the couch. "No. Where could it be?"

After the four smashers searched the room in vain, Marth decided to check the lounge.

Just as he left his room, Ike walked out of his own.

"Ike! Have you seen my sword recently? It's gone missing."

"Sorry, I haven't. Why don't you check the training room? You might have left it in there from the tournament this morning."

"I could have sworn I had it with me after the tournament, but you might be right. I'll take a look. This is just so strange. I _always_ keep it with me…"

Ike shrugged, wished Marth luck, and walked into the laundry room to get his cape out of the dryer. Marth continued on to the training room, but not before searching the lounge, unsuccessfully, on the way.

- * X * -

Wolf, Fox, and Falco walked across the training room, still discussing the tournament. As they passed the shelf with the free weights, Wolf's shoulder brushed against the metal.

"Ouch! That shelf just gave me an electric shock!"

Fox and Falco stopped walking while their fellow smasher rubbed his shoulder with annoyance.

"I bet it was Pikachu sending a psychic wave of electricity in retaliation for that comment you made that he's gonna get toasted by Bowser tomorrow," Falco teased.

"Ha, ha," returned Wolf sarcastically. He placed his hand on the shelf to lean on it and got shocked once more, this time so powerfully that they could actually see the band of electricity travel from the shelf to Wolf's hand.

"Whoa! I even heard it that time! That's one nasty electric shock!" Fox commented.

Falco laughed. "Okay, Pikachu. Joke's over." But Pikachu was nowhere in sight.

"Seriously, a static electricity shock almost never happens twice in a row like that."

Scowling at Fox's comment, Wolf cautiously moved his pointed finger closer to the shelf.

"Well, don't touch it again!" Fox exclaimed.

Of course, Wolf proceeded to touch the shelf, only half convinced that he couldn't possibly get shocked a third time. Nothing happened, and Wolf sighed in relief.

"Hey, isn't that Marth's sword?" Falco pointed to the steel sword with a jeweled hilt propped up against the wall nearby.

"Yeah, I think it is. It's not like him to leave his sword lying around, though," answered Fox.

"Well, better go bring it to him on the way to the lounge, then. I'm sure he's looking for it." Falco picked up the sword, and they continued toward the exit. Wolf could not resist turning around to give the weight shelf one last stare of curiosity.

- * X * -

Meanwhile, Mr. Game and Watch was hanging out in ROB and Toon Link's room playing a game of cards. He was attempting, only somewhat successfully, to teach Toon Link the rules of 500 Rummy. After a good twenty minutes, they decided to play Go Fish instead.

ROB grinned as Mr. Game and Watch reluctantly handed over a ten and triumphantly slapped his pair onto the floor. "Hey, how about a little music?"

"Sure."

"Good idea."

With his friends' approval, ROB stood up and plugged in his favorite white radio. He began adjusting the antenna to get rid of the static, but no matter which way he turned it, the fuzzy noise would not go away.

"Got any fours?" Just as Toon Link handed Mr. Game and Watch his four, a loud, low-pitched sound burst from the speakers, followed by what sounded oddly like muffled whispers. ROB quickly tapped the side of the radio, causing the squeaking voices to become more distinct. This time, ROB pounded the top of the radio with his robotic fist.

"There," he said as a classic rock song began to play.

"What was that all about?" Mr. Game and Watch's usually calm voice betrayed just a hint of his shock. Toon Link gripped the cards in his small hands, his head tilted slightly to the side.

ROB rejoined them on the floor. "I dunno."

- * X * -

Lucas was walking down the hallway from the training room when a certain familiar feeling overcame him – the one he usually gets when someone is watching him. He turned around, expecting to see Pikachu or maybe Diddy Kong behind him. It wouldn't have been the first time he accidentally left his stick ball bat by the treadmill.

No one was there. He continued walking a little faster, checking every few seconds to make sure no one was following him. When he got to the staircase in the entrance room, he was relieved to see Marth hopping briskly down the stairs.

"Hey, Lucas! Have you seen my sword, by any chance? I think I might have left it in the training room."

"S-sorry, no, I haven't seen it."

"Well, I suppose it can't hurt to look anyway." Lucas glanced once more over his shoulder. "Why so jumpy?"

"I – I think someone is following me!"

"Hm. I don't see anyone."

"Oh, o-okay then. I hope you find your sword!"

Marth continued out of the entrance room in search of his missing sword, while Lucas quickened his pace up the stairs and into the lounge.

As he crossed the lounge toward the bedroom hallway, he jumped when he heard a door creak and slam shut. Not just any door . . . the door to the Subspace hallway! Breaking into a jog, Lucas leaped out of the lounge and headed straight for Ness's room.

Inside, Ness was practicing his baseball swing while Sonic lounged on his bed eating a hot dog.

"Hiya, Lucas," Ness greeted his friend as he burst in through the doorway.

Sonic added some mustard to his hot dog. "You look like you've seen a ghost or something." Then he added a heap of relish and bit the hot dog in half.

Lucas fumbled to shut the door. "I think there really is a ghost! Or someone…or some_thing_…it's been following me!" he panted.

Sonic choked, and Ness put down his bat.

"Lucas, relax. There's no ghost following you."

Sonic swallowed his food and added, "Yeah, you're just being paranoid."

"Am not!" defended Lucas.

"Did you actually see anything?"

"Well, no." Lucas paused. "But I _felt_ it!" Sonic raised his eyebrows. "And I heard the door to the Subspace hallway slam shut!"

Ness sighed. "It must have been another door you heard."

"Unless…" mused Sonic, a spooky edge to his voice. Lucas's eyes widened. "…Tabuu has come back from the dead to haunt us!"

"AHH!" Lucas yelped as he jumped backward. "Y-y-you don't really think it's Tabuu, do you?"

Ness gave Sonic a warning look. "Of course not. We all know Kirby got rid of him after the Championship Tournament."

Lucas looked from Ness to Sonic, not convinced by his best friend's reassuring words. Sonic smiled and told the terrified boy, "I was just kidding around. There's no ghost, and there's definitely no Tabuu. It's all in your imagination."

"Well, alright. But I'm gonna go ask Captain Falcon if he's seen anything strange lately. If there really is someone following me, he'll know what to do."

Lucas left Ness's room and stumbled into his own.

"That's weird and entertaining at the same time!" he heard Captain Falcon exclaim after shutting the door. Olimar was showing him the new trick he taught his Pikmin. "Let's see it again!"

Lucas watched as the tiny creatures arranged themselves to form the ten pins of a bowling alley. Then, four Pikmin rolled up into a multi-colored ball and launched themselves at the pins, knocking down every one.

"That's a turkey!" Olimar shouted and threw his hands into the air.

Lucas panted, "Guys, have you seen anything strange around Smash Castle lately?"

"You mean other than bowling Pikmin?" Captain Falcon joked.

"I've been hearing strange noises, and I feel like someone's following me!"

Just then, the door opened behind him. Lucas screamed and whirled around, only to find a fat purple Pikmin skip into the room.

"Lucas, there are thirty-five smashers here, not to mention all of the alloys that work here. You could have heard anybody."

Olimar nodded. "No need to worry about something like that."

"Well, okay. Ness and Sonic seem to think there's nothing to worry about either, so I guess there isn't."

- * X * -

"Perfect! There he is now!" Fox, Falco, and Wolf had just walked out of the training room when they saw Marth heading toward them. "Marth! I found your – "

"My sword!" Marth ran over to get his sword from Falco and placed it safely back in its sheath. "I guess I did leave it in the training room."

"Yeah, we found it leaning up against the wall by the free weights."

"Strange. I wasn't even near the free weights today. Oh well, at least I've got it back now. I owe you guys one."

"Don't mention it," Falco said with a wave of his hand.

The four smashers walked back to the lounge, discussing Pikachu's potential for producing psychic electric shocks.

- * X * -

On their way to dinner that night, Jigglypuff and Lucario hopped cheerfully down the stairs into the entrance room. Jigglypuff happened to glance at one of the mahogany desks off to the side, and what she saw made her do a double take; the drawers opened and closed in the blink of an eye.

She poked Lucario in the side and asked in amazement, "Did you see that?"

"See what?"

"The desk drawers over there just opened and closed by themselves!"

Lucario scrutinized the desks but saw nothing unusual. "It was probably just a trick of the light."

"Yeah, you're probably right." Although Jigglypuff agreed, something in the back of her mind told her the drawers really did open and shut on their own.

Not far behind Jigglypuff and Lucario, Pokémon Trainer was walking with Ike, Link, and Zelda to the Dining Hall. They were discussing the dangers of using a golden hammer on the Rainbow Cruise stage when Pokémon Trainer noticed the white walls suddenly flash midnight blue. He rubbed his eyes, and the walls returned to their normal color.

_Well, that was strange. I know I've been working hard preparing for the semi-finals, but I haven't lost _that_ much sleep._

Brushing off this odd sight, Pokémon Trainer continued into the Dining Hall with the others.

- * X * -

In the Dining Hall, Diddy Kong, Donkey Kong, and Pit sat down at an empty part of the long dining table after piling up their trays with that night's dinner.

"So, did you guys hear about all the strange things happening around the castle?" Pit asked.

"I heard Marth's sword disappeared, but then it turned up in the training room. And Lucas was afraid someone was following him, but that's nothing unusual," Diddy Kong replied.

Donkey Kong stuffed a banana in his mouth and swallowed it without chewing. "Mr. Game and Watch said he heard some weird sounds coming from the radio this afternoon."

Kirby walked over carrying a tray of food and a whole blueberry pie. He sat down next to Pit, followed by King Dedede and Meta Knight. "Man, I can't WAIT to eat this blueberry pie!" Kirby exclaimed.

"Looks delicious!" Diddy Kong said as he licked his lips and reached across the table to grab a piece. Kirby slapped his hand away, and Meta Knight rolled his eyes.

"What about you guys?" Pit asked. "Have you seen anything strange around the castle?"

"Do these two count?" Meta Knight jabbed his thumb toward Kirby and King Dedede, who were busy stuffing their faces.

"I'm serious. I have a feeling something weird is happening around here." Just as the words escaped Pit's mouth, Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, and Pit's trays lifted slightly off the table and flipped off the edges.

"Ack!" Diddy Kong shouted as his food landed on his lap. The plates hit the floor and shattered.

"Talk about strange, I wasn't even touching my tray!" Donkey Kong said.

"Neither was I. You see what I mean?" Pit asked expectantly.

Kirby laughed. Then, to his horror, the scrumptious blueberry pie sitting in front of him exploded, spraying cooked blueberry goop all over his body! Now everyone laughed.

"That's what you get!" Diddy Kong chortled, pointing his finger at his now messy and quite disappointed friend.

"That stuff stains, too!" cackled Meta Knight.

Donkey Kong snorted. "Are you speaking from experience?"

"So, _that's_ why you're blue and wear a mask!" wailed King Dedede.

"Very funny." Meta Knight attempted a scowl. Even Pit couldn't help laughing.

At the other end of the table, Marth was telling Pokémon Trainer, Ike, Link, and Zelda how he left his sword in the training room. To show that he found it, Marth reached to pull the sword out of its sheath.

"Huh." When he gripped the handle, it had quite an unusual texture to it.

"Hey," Link called across the table, "that's _my_ sword!"

"What?" Marth looked down in confusion at the sword in his hand. "It _is_ your sword. How in the world did that get here? I just put my sword back in its sheath before dinner when Falco handed it to me!"

If Marth has your sword, whose sword do you have?" Zelda asked Link. She eyed the golden blade sticking out of the sheath on his back.

"Let's see . . . Ike's?" He turned to his right and gave Ike a blank stare.

"Well, that doesn't make any sense. I haven't used my sword all day." He placed a hand on his own sheath, surprised to feel a much smaller sword inside. "No way," He breathed as he pulled out Marth's sword.

The three swordsmen passed the swords across the table to their rightful owners. "How's that even possible?" Link wondered as he sheathed his own sword.

"Beats me," Marth shrugged.

"This has been such a strange day," Pokémon Trainer announced.

They watched as Kirby, smothered in blueberry filling, strolled past them licking the sticky fruit off his face. "You can say that again," stated Ike.

- * X * -

After dinner, Peach and Yoshi decided to take a leisurely stroll through the courtyard.

"It really is a beautiful night, isn't it, Yoshi?"

"Uh, huh!" Yoshi nodded vigorously.

"I mean, the sky is clear, the air smells like roses, and there's such a nice breeze!"

Peach stuck her arms out and laughed as the cool wind blew through her long, blonde hair.

Yoshi did the same, closing his eyes and feeling the air blow gently around his face and nose. After a few seconds, Yoshi felt the gentle breeze become stronger. In fact, it was becoming somewhat harsh; the air became suddenly colder and slapped painfully against his nose.

"Eeek!"

Hearing Peach scream, Yoshi snapped his eyes open. Yoshi gasped when he looked down. The wind was blowing so hard it had actually lifted him a few inches off the ground! "Waah!" He shuffled his feet, trying desperately to flutter back down.

He watched Peach's dress puff up like a balloon as the wind pushed her off to the left. She dragged her feet along the stone path and reached up to grab Yoshi's arm, her other hand clutching her crown. He was starting to blow past her, but fortunately they were able to grasp onto each other. Peach pulled him down to the ground, and their combined weight was just enough for them to be able to walk.

They shoved against the force of the wind until they somehow reached the door connecting the courtyard to the castle. Peach reached out for the handle just as the wind picked up again. The rushing and whistling sounds filled their ears so that they couldn't even hear themselves scream. Yoshi latched onto Peach's free arm as the two of them lifted into the air.

"I'm slipping!" Peach yelled out in alarm. If she let go of the doorknob now, nothing would stop them from being carried off to only the stars know where.

Miraculously, Peach managed to turn the doorknob, pull Yoshi and herself inside the castle, and snap the door shut.

"Whew," Yoshi sighed as the two of them sunk into a sitting position on the ground, backs against the door.

"Did that really just happen?" Peach asked, bewildered. She straightened her crown, which had slid down onto her forehead, slightly sideways.

Yoshi just shook his head, completely lost for words.

- * X * -

The sun had just set over Smash Castle, and a small group of smashers were relaxing in the lounge. Diddy Kong had challenged the Ice Climbers to see which one of them would tire of doing jumping jacks first. So far, they had been going for thirteen minutes straight. Pikachu and Bowser watched excitedly from the middle of the room, while Wario sat bored on the couch twiddling his thumbs. Ike was leaning back reading a book on battle tactics. Every few minutes, he placed a hand on his sword to be sure it was still there.

Ganondorf thumped into the lounge from the balcony atop the stairs and gave the Ice Climbers a sour look. "What are you dorks doing?"

"Jumping jacks!" Popo and Nana replied with enthusiasm.

"I swear, they're like the energizer bunny," explained Bowser. "They just keep going and going and going and going and . . ."

Suddenly the lights all went out, leaving the lounge in complete darkness. Diddy Kong tripped over his own tail, knocking over the screaming Ice Climbers. Nana stuck her hands out in front of her to break her fall, pushing Bowser backward. The giant koopa knocked Popo to the ground.

"Chu!" Pikachu bellowed in pain as Bowser proceeded to step on his tail. The yellow Pokémon stumbled into Ganondorf as a loud popping sound filled the room.

"Watch where you're going, you yellow rat!" he spat while tripping over Ike's boots.

The lights flickered back on, revealing the disoriented smashers on the floor. Wario had not moved an inch.

"Okay, something is definitely going on around here," Ike declared.

Popo sat up, extremely confused. "Wait, why am I holding a peanut?"

"Sorry," grinned Diddy Kong, picking up his peanut gun off the floor and placing it back at his waist.

"Maybe there's something wrong with the electrical wiring?" suggested Pikachu.

"Then we call an electrician in the morning. I'm going to bed. Gotta get my rest for the big day tomorrow. Be prepared to be demolished, Pikachu!" Bowser stood up and marched out of the lounge.

"In your dreams!" Pikachu called back.

Diddy Kong yawned. "I think Bowser's got the right idea. It's been a long day." He followed behind Bowser, as did the others.

- * X * -

Peach bent over the middle sink in the bathroom to wash up for bed as she did every night. She turned on the faucet, listened to the peaceful sound of running water, and splashed some cold water on her face. So refreshing! She began another splash but stopped when she heard an odd gurgling noise echo throughout the bathroom.

She shut off the water and listened intensely, water dripping down her face and into the sink. After a few seconds, the gurgling stopped. She quickly dried her face on her pink hand towel and turned to walk out of the bathroom, but at that moment the gurgling started again, this time even louder.

Peach briskly left the bathroom and walked up to Mario's room. She usually wasn't one to panic at strange sounds, but she couldn't forget all the stories of strange events that have been circulating around the castle recently, especially what she and Yoshi experienced in the courtyard just a few hours ago.

Just as Peach knocked on Mario's door, she spotted Luigi heading down the hallway toward the men's bathroom. He stopped and straightened his hat when he saw Peach standing outside his brother's room.

"Just a minute!" Mario called from inside. They heard him shuffle across the room and reach for the doorknob. Mario opened the door and looked curiously from Peach to Luigi.

"Mario! Do you have a moment?" Peach asked nervously.

"Of course."

"Is something wrong, Princess?" Luigi took a step forward and gulped.

"Well, I was just in the bathroom washing up before bed like I always do when I was startled by an odd gurgling noise. Wait, listen! Here it is again!"

Peach, Mario, and Luigi strained their ears in silence, and sure enough they all heard the strange gurgle echoing nearby.

Luigi slapped his hands to his face in horror.

"Wait a minute," Mario said thoughtfully as he stepped from his doorway over to the men's bathroom right next to his own room.

He opened the door, and Luigi and Peach peeked inside over his shoulders.

All three sighed in relief when they saw a large, spiked green shell leaning over one of the sinks.

"Hey! I'm trying to gargle here! Either come in or shut the door!" Bowser complained.

Peach giggled. "I guess it was only Bowser. Nothing to worry about after all," she said reassuringly to Mario and Luigi.

"I think all these weird stories are getting to our heads," Mario smiled.

Luigi nodded and continued shakily into the bathroom. As the door swung shut behind him, Mario and Peach heard Bowser tell him, "You know, they say that gargling with warm salt water before bed is beneficial for your muscles and makes you ten times stronger in the morning!"

- * X * -

The next morning, Samus lazily flopped out of bed. Eyes half closed, she groped for the handle to her bedroom door and dragged her feet to the bathroom. She splashed some cold water on her face to help her wake up. When she tried to shut the faucet, the water wouldn't turn off.

Now somewhat more awake, she gripped the handle and wrenched it back and forth, but no matter how much she moved it around, the water kept running.

To test if it was just that sink, Samus turned on the faucets to the other sinks. "Wonderful," she groaned. Now all the faucets wouldn't shut off, and the sinks were about to overflow. Lost for a solution, she scooped some water from the first sink into her hands and dumped it down one of the shower drains.

The bathroom door opened behind her.

"What's going on?" she heard Zelda yawn from the doorway.

"The faucets just won't shut off!" Samus told her friend as she ran across the bathroom to scoop more water.

Zelda let the door close behind her and saw the water spurting from the faucets and spilling out onto the floor. "Let me give it a try," she offered. Zelda stepped gingerly into the growing puddle surrounding one of the sinks and turned the handles back and forth, but the water kept running. "Well, that's odd." She tried again with no luck. "I don't think that's helping," she pointed out as Samus made a third trip to the shower. Zelda sighed. She repositioned her feet on the flooded bathroom floor and forcefully turned two of the handles. "Samus! I got one to stop!" she called out to her friend over the sound of rushing water.

Samus skidded back to the sinks. "Try another one!"

They each went to a sink and successfully turned off the water. "Whew! That was annoying."

"I'll go get some mops from the closet." Zelda stepped over the puddles to the closet and picked out the two large, blue-handled mops.

"It looks like the castle's got a plumbing problem on top of an electrical problem," Samus said as she took the mop Zelda handed her.

"Then it's a good thing we have two plumbers living here," chuckled Zelda. "I'm sure Mario and Luigi can figure out what's wrong in no time."

- * X * -

Returning from an early breakfast, Snake walked out of the Dining Hall singing contentedly under his breath, "My, my, Miss American Pie – "

The lights in the entrance hall suddenly began to flicker. He looked up at the brilliant chandelier and nearly fell backward with shock. "What the – !"

After hearing Snake yell, Sonic ran curiously into the room. "What? What's going on?"

"L-look!" was all Snake could sputter as he pointed up at the chandelier.

"Holy hotdogs! Samus is hanging from the chandelier!" To their astonishment, the back of Samus's Power Suit was caught on one of the curling gold poles, dangling motionless before their eyes. "What in the world are you doing up there?" Sonic called up toward the ceiling. Samus did not make a sound.

"Uh, Samus?" Snake shouted. The only reply was a faint echo. The two smashers looked at each other uneasily.

"You don't think…" Sonic gulped.

"Go find a ladder or something."

"Where the heck am I supposed to find a ladder?"

"I don't know, you're the hedgehog!"

"What's being a hedgehog…"

"Wait! Go get your spring!"

"I can't, it's still being fixed from when Bowser…well, it's a long story. Oooh! Do you have your flying thing with you?"

"Yeah, I always bring it to breakfast just in case we happen to find a smasher dangling from the chandelier."

The lights flickered again.

"AAAHHH!"

"Is everything alright down there?" A gentle female voice carried down from the top of the stairs.

Peach looked over the balcony to see Snake and Sonic staring wildly up at her.

"Peach! Get down here, quick!" Sonic jumped nervously as he spoke.

"The lights flickered, and when I looked up, I saw Samus hanging from the chandelier!"

"Look!"

"But guys, Samus is right here." Sure enough, Samus and Zelda walked up behind Peach.

"Hey, have either of you seen Mario and Luigi? We've got a plumbing issue in the ladies' bathroom." Samus's jaw dropped. "What in the world are you two doing with my Power Suit?"

"We…"

"Heh, heh…"

"You see, I was on my way back from breakfast when I looked up and…"

"Oh, never mind." She took her whip-gun from her Zero Suit, slung the rope through the air, lassoed it around her Power Suit's right arm with perfect precision, and pulled it back into her free hand. "I guess it's just one of those mornings," she sighed. "Zelda, Peach, do you two mind finding Mario and Luigi while I go bring this back to the room?"

"Sure," the princesses answered, watching the mixed look of bewilderment, fear, and relief on Sonic and Snake's faces.

- * X * -

Finally, it was time for the smashers to gather for the semi-finals. Captain Falcon and Pokémon Trainer stepped onto the Animal Crossing stage for the first brawl at the announcement of their names.

"3…2…1…GO!"

With the cue to begin and the start of the 2:00 am music, Captain Falcon leaped toward Pokémon Trainer's Ivysaur that had just exited his pokéball. He aimed a kick at the Pokémon, who immediately lengthened his vines and whipped them at Captain Falcon's legs at his trainer's instructions.

Captain Falcon dodged midair and landed behind Ivysaur. He landed three quick punches and a kick before Ivysaur retaliated with a solarbeam blast from the bulb on his back. The captain was sent flying from the force and took quite a bit of damage, but he managed to get on his feet and jump out of the way as Ivysaur sent sharp leaves flying through the air like daggers.

A few leaves sliced into Captain Falcon, but Pokémon Trainer realized that, as he had anticipated before the start of the brawl, Ivysaur was just a little too slow to compete with Captain Falcon despite his Pokémon's strength. While his opponent was recovering from the razor leaf attack, he swiftly withdrew Ivysaur and sent out Squirtle. The water Pokémon had far less power, but his speed and ability to attack quickly would no doubt play to their advantage.

Captain Falcon glanced to his right and silently cheered when he saw a barrel drop from the sky. Rushing over to it, he lifted the barrel above his head and hurled it at Squirtle. The Pokémon, in the middle of using his water gun attack, could not move out of the way as the barrel smashed into him.

Taking advantage of Squirtle's damage increase, Captain Falcon bounded over to the Pokémon and kicked him with his most powerful Falcon Kick.

"No, Squirtle!" Pokémon Trainer called from the background as Squirtle was sent flying through the air toward the outside of the stage.

Captain Falcon prepared for Squirtle's next attack as the Pokémon made his way safely back onto the floor of the stage. Squirtle landed right in front of his opponent as the audience cheered and jumped into the air to dodge a few more punches and kicks. As soon as he saw an opening, Squirtle whacked Captain Falcon forcefully with his tail, kicked him in the stomach, and shot another water gun.

After brawling like this for about another minute, the stage began to spaz. A tremor pulsed through the ground every few seconds, and the bewildered animals playing their music in the background paused each time.

Amidst the screaming audience, Captain Falcon, Pokémon Trainer, and Squirtle watched uneasily as the stage shut down and started smoking, the 2:00 am music fading out with a deep tone comparable to a dying record player.

Unsure of what else to do, they abandoned the brawl and exited the stage after Pokémon Trainer withdrew Squirtle. They ran over to Mario, who was standing just outside the stage.

"What just happened?" Captain Falcon asked.

"I don't know. One minute everything was working fine, and the next the entire stage shut down!"

They jumped as they heard something on the stage explode behind them. Some of the animals were sporting burned whiskers as they attempted to put out the fire from the coffee machine that exploded at The Roost.

"That doesn't look good," Pokémon Trainer commented.

"Anyway, I sent some of the alloys to take a look at the wiring and technical stuff," Mario informed them.

They could hear the buzz of the other smashers' conversations from the stands. Just then, Pit squeezed his way through some yellow alloys and approached Mario.

"Mario! Is everyone alright?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "The stage's is going to need some major repairs, though."

Pit's face was flushed even paler than usual. "Guys, something is seriously going on here. When the stage shut down, I swear I saw two purple eyes flash in the background."

"You're right. All these weird things are starting to get out of hand," Mario declared. "Maybe we should call a meeting and figure out what to do from here."

"Good idea. Let's start getting everyone into the lounge." Pit ran back toward the stands, followed by Captain Falcon and Pokémon Trainer. After making sure the animals and alloys had everything under control, Mario joined his fellow smashers as they made their way out of the brawl area.

- * X * -

"So with all the strange things that have been happening around the castle over the past 24 hours, there has to be _something_ going on here, and we need to do something about it. Any ideas?" Mario stood in the front of the lounge while the rest of the smashers had gathered on the couches. He looked around the room, but everyone else seemed just as perplexed as he was. Most were sitting in silence, staring at the walls, the floor, or Mario. Link turned to Zelda, who could only shrug. Ness was talking quietly to Lucas, no doubt trying to comfort his startled friend.

Suddenly, the entire castle started shaking violently. It felt as though the very walls would cave in at any given moment. Mario wobbled and nearly fell over, and the tiny white lights from the chandelier spun around his head like glowing silk.

"Hurry! Everyone get outside the castle!" Mario called out, waving his hand for the others to follow. _As long as everyone gets out before the castle collapses . . ._ he thought desperately. After a few minutes of scrambling toward the front entrance and fighting the overwhelming dizziness, all thirty-five smashers managed to escape in time.

Mario turned and looked up at the castle, expecting it to crumble right before his eyes. A few smashers let out a scream; the ground outside was shaking just as hard!

"What's happening?" Zelda asked as she gripped Mario's arm to steady herself. He stuck out his other arm for balance, somehow keeping both of them upright.

"I don't know!" Mario shouted back above the loud rumbling. It seemed as though the entire universe was trembling.

"It might be an earthquake!" Samus suggested from his left.

Fox unsteadily turned around. "Nah, there aren't any cracks in the ground!"

"Whoa!" Samus toppled over. Mario tried to help her back to her feet, but another large tremble of the ground sent him reeling backward. He bumped into what felt like a giant feather. The faces of Zelda and Fox swirled around in the deep blue darkness of the night, and with a soft thud the world around him faded to black.


End file.
